One (1) particular type of work found around motor vehicles, small engine repair shops, farms, and the like is that of engine repair. One (1) critical factor that must be verified at an early stage of repair diagnosis is that of a proper spark being supplied by the ignition system. Since the spark is provided in the interior of the combustion cylinder, a mechanic must rely on other indications of a proper spark which may not be highly reliable.
The verification of proper spark firing is a time consuming and difficult process which is nonetheless critical in the assessment of engine repair. Conventional methods for testing the working status of the system involve the removal and replacement of various portions of the system in order to access the components necessary to test the electrical current and the like. Such methods are expensive due to the time and labor involved in the removal and replacement processes.
Various attempts have been made to provide a device for verifying the status of an ignition system. Examples of these attempts can be seen by reference to several U.S. patents. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,148, issued in the name of Pittman, describes an integral engine timing light. U.S. Pat. No. 4,292,591, issued in the name of Doss, describes an ignition performance monitor for permanent installation in a motor vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 4,942,362, issued in the name of Lance, describes an apparatus adapted to test the status of these types of ignition systems.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffer from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Many such devices involve permanent installments which are not standard on existing vehicles and which are inefficient or cost prohibitive for one (1) time use when attempting to verify the state of an existing ignition system prior to engine work. Also, many such devices require significant work prior to testing including the removal and subsequent replacement of various parts of the system between each test. Accordingly, there exists a need for an ignition current tester without the disadvantages as described above. The development of the present invention substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.